Handling cage for underwater vessel

ABSTRACT

A CAGE, FOR A BUOYANT VESSEL, ADAPTED TO TRANSPORT THE VESSEL FROM A SHIP TO THE WATER AND FROM THE WATER TO THE SHIP AND WHILE UNDERWATER TO PROTECT AND RESTRAIN THE MOVEMENTS OF THE VESSEL.

United States Patent Inventor App]. No.

Stuart D. Kearney, 11

Potomac, Md.

July 3, 1969 June 28, 1971 The United States of America as representedby the Secretary of the Navy HANDLING CAGE FOR UNDERWATER VESSEL 6Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

us. (I 114/16 1111. c1 B63b 3/13, 863g 8/00 Field 61 Search 114/16,

6/1969 Demarest Primary ExaminerTrygve M. Blix Attorneys- Edgar J.Brower and Thomas 0. Watson, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A cage, for a buoyant vessel, adapted to transport the vesselfrom a ship to the water and from the water to the ship and whileunderwater to protect and restrain the movements of the vessel.

PATENTEU JUN28 I971 SHEET 1 BF 2 FIG. 2

PATENTEU JUN28 I9?! SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG.

ATTORNEY HANDLING CAGE FOR UNDERWATER VESSEL GOVERNMENT INTEREST IN THEINVENTION The invention described herein may be manufactured and used byor for the Government of the United States of America for governmentalpurposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to underwater vesselsand more particularly to a protective and restraining cage surrounding abuoyant spherical vessel, the cage also serving to transport to vesselto and from the ship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a buoyant sphericalunderwater vessel adapted to be attached to an anchor with movement in avertical direction from the surface to the bottom of the sea and to becapable of a 10,000 foot depth. The vessel needs lifting from the deckof a ship to the water and from the water back to the ship. For thispurpose the cage forming the subject of this invention was developed.This cage consists of two circular rings arranged in planes normal toeach other and surrounding and retaining the spherical vessel. Its (thecage) weight is not sufficient to overcome the buoyancy of the buoyantvessel and its use is restricted to being a protective device and toserve as a means of lifting the spherical vessel from the water to theship and vice versa.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cage adapted toenclose a buoyant spherical vessel for lifting the vessel from the shipsdeck to the water and from the water back to the ship's deck, the cageto be of such metal as not to overcome the inherent buoyancy of thevessel.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cage for abuoyant spherical vessel which, within limits, will restrain themovement of the vessel, serve as a protective barrier against contact ofthe transparent, buoyant spherical vessel and which will carryreleasable weights for overcoming the inherent buoyancy of the vessel.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the inventionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING from a cable attached to the ship, withreleasable weights attached to the bottom of the cage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring particularly to FIG.1, the buoyant vessel 10, spherical in shape, is shown just after it hasbeen conveyed to the surface of the water by a crane and cable attachedto the eye 11 part of the cage 12. The cage 12 is made up of two rings,13 and- 14 arranged in planes normal to each other and secured to eachother at their junctures.

The buoyant spherical vessel 11 is mounted within the cage and spacedtherefrom by coil spring spacers 15 which are secured to the cage andabut against pads 16 carried by the inner coil of the spring. Attachedto the bottom of the buoyant vessel is a compartment 17 housing oxygentanks 18, a winch l9 and battery operated motor 21. An anchor 22attached to a cable 23 which is carried on the winch l9 securely anchorsthe vessel to the bottom. By operating the winch the observers in thevessel may position themselves at any vertical position between thesurface and the sea bottom.

The buoyant vessel which is not part of this invention except as itenters into combination with the cage is part of a Navy Developmentprogram and has been successfully tested in the Pacific. It is adaptedto be carried on ship board and to be transported to the water where itsbuoyancy supports it. A weight or anchor holds it to one location andthrough the use of the winch and battery operated motor the observerswithin the vessel may raise or lower the spherical vessel. Thetransporting of the vessel to and from the ship was found to beextremely difficult because of the weight of the vessel and theundesirability of including sufficient structure to support a liftingeye. The cage, built of a metal sufficiently light so as not to overcomethe buoyancy of the vessel, serves to enclose and support the vesselduring the transportation to and from the ship, while forming nohindrance to the vertical movement by means of the cable.

Referring to FIG. 2 where a slight modification in the use of the cageis shown, a buoyant spherical vessel 31, similar to that shown in FIG. 1except for the attachment of the winch and anchoring cable, is shownenclosed by a cage 32 similar to that previously discussed. It is formedof similar rings and has the coiled spring spacers to support thebuoyant vessel. This cage is however equipped with releasable weights 33attached to a compartment 34 which contains the releasing mechanism (notshown) for the weights. This releasing mechanism may be of any knowntype such as solenoids releasing catches, or electrical magnets whichmay be deenergized. The buoyant vessel may be lifted from the ship asbefore, but the cable 35 is retained in the eye 36 and movement iscontrolled by operators on the ship, subject to directions fromobservers in the vessel, by way of telephone connection within oralongside of the cable 35. The weights are added to overcome thebuoyancy of the spherical vessel and to provide a balance between thisbuoyancy and the weight of the cage plus the weights. Should the cable35 break, the release of the weights would float the cage and vessel. Inthe use of the modification, the vertical motion of the vessel has beenenchanced by a horizontal motion of the ship and an arclike motion ofthe crane.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings.

I claim:

1. A cage for a buoyant spherical vessel comprising:

means in the form of a pair of ring members each arranged in a planenormal to the other and surrounding but not directly contacting thespherical vessel for restraining the movement of the vessel when in thewater;

an eye member attached at one of the junctures of the ring members, toprovide lifting means so that the cage may transport the sphericalvessel from a ship to the water and from the water to the ship; and

means positioned between the spherical vessel and the ring members forresiliently spacing the spherical vessel from the cage.

2. A cage according to claim 1 wherein the spacing means comprises acoil spring member.

3. A cage for a buoyant vessel according to claim 1 and including meansfor overcoming the buoyancy of the buoyant vessel.

4. A cage according to claim 3 wherein the means for overcoming thebuoyancy of the spherical vessel comprises releasable weights attachedto the cage.

5 The combination of a buoyant spherical vessel with a cage ofinsufficient weight to overcome the buoyancy of the vessel surroundingsaid vessel, said cage comprising:

a plurality of rings encircling the vessel and spaced therefrom topermit certain limited free movement of the spherical vessel;

spring means attached to the cage and contacting said vessel to limitthe independent movement of the vessel;

an eye structure attached to the cage to provide a lifting means for thecage and enclosed buoyant spherical vessel; and

means carried by the buoyant vessel for overcoming the inherent buoyancyof the vessel.

6. A combination according to claim 5 wherein the means for overcomingthe buoyancy is a plurality of releasable weights.

